MONTEGO BAY, St James — Local stakeholders are thrilled with the return of activities to Catherine Hall Entertainment Centre, with Saturday’s staging of Montego Bay Jerk and Food Festival, an annual event whose fate was in question after the venue was damaged by last October’s Hurricane Melissa.

“The feeling of being in this Catherine Hall Entertainment Centre is one of triumph,” president of the Montego Bay Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Jason Russell, told the Jamaica Observer on the sidelines of the celebrity chef cook-off competition which he later won.

“To see the park back and opened, separate and apart from Jerk Fest, to see the Government fix back the park, it looks good. The grass looks good, the walls are up, the fences are up. It gives me a real warm feeling and MoBay is really back,” he added.

Mayor of Montego Bay, Richard Vernon (left), watches as celebrity chef and journalist Janet Silvera shows off her cooking skills during the Montego Bay Jerk and Food Festival held at Catherine Hall Entertainment Centre on Saturday.

Catherine Hall was among the hardest-hit sections of the city when the Category 5 storm struck and the popular entertainment venue was not spared. A section of its perimeter wall was washed away and although it has since been repaired, the venue remained unused for months. Its marquee event, Reggae Sumfest, went to St Ann on July 18 for a one-day event, scaling down the show from the usual seven days.

“They didn’t think that the park would be ready in time and being here we realise that some good work was done,” Russell stated.

Regional Director at the Jamaica Tourist Board, Odette Dyer shows off her skills during the Celebrity Cook Off during the Montego Bay Jerk and Food Festival.

Also in attendance at Saturday’s event was Mayor of Montego Bay Richard Vernon, who was equally pleased with the venue’s return.

“It’s good to know that the centre can be used for events. I was always of the view that it could be used ever since the hurricane, just needed to do a little work to get it back in order to ensure we can host events of this size. Today is testament to that thought process back then and we intend for the regular activities in this area to return,” he said.

The facility is owned and operated by the Urban Development Corporation (UDC), which the mayor said had been working diligently to restore the venue. He also commended organisers of Saturday’s event for successfully taking on the challenge of hosting a major event after the hurricane.

Social media content creator Ivy Royal cooking up a storm during the Montego Bay Jerk and Food Festival’s Celebrity Cook Off.

Promoter John Lindo admitted there had been significant concerns when organisers first assessed the venue which on Saturday was still being powered by generators. They decided to go ahead with the show, he said, as they did not want to disappoint regular patrons and they know how important the event is to the city.

“Montego Bay Jerk Festival is the people’s show. For 17 years we have been doing it and we must be doing something good. It is a clean, nice show. We do things straight and we do things right and so I guess that is why… the sponsors… are always coming back on board,” he said.

Several sponsors, he added, have thrown their support behind the usual plan to give back to the community by helping individuals connected to the festival and are Hurricane Melissa victims.

Patrons returned to a fun filled atmosphere at Catherine Hall Entertainment Centre on Saturday with the Montego Bay Jerk and Food Festival.

Lindo said once arrangements are finalised, organisers will identify the beneficiaries and determine the level of assistance to be provided.

For Mayor Vernon, however, the benefits of the festival were already evident Saturday, particularly for vendors operating both in and outside the venue.

Fun seekers of all ages came out, Saturday, for Montego Bay Jerk and Food Festival, the first event staged at Catherine Hall Entertainment Centre in Montego Bay since Hurricane Melissa. 

“Events like these they provide spin-offs to other businesses and that is why they are so important. We work closely with promoters to give them as much support as possible to have these types of events,” he asserted.

“Some of them have houses damaged, they’re still fixing and at the same time, you have to send children back to school so they have to deal with that, so I am happy for this opportunity for them and I am happy for this opportunity for the city of Montego Bay,” he stated.

The festival attracted thousands of patrons despite an earlier threat of rain. Attendees enjoyed a wide variety of food, drinks and activities that culminated in a stage show featuring performances by songbird Alliance and several other artistes.